A Cloudy Christmas Carol
by falala
Summary: FF7 Version of A Christmas Carol  : ... what more can I add :P


Bah, Humbug, Christmas

Cloud hated Christmas time the most because it would be the time of the year where he was always busy delivering presents as if he was Santa Claus. It annoyed him because not only did the winter cold numb him from head to toe but his own family was giving him a hard time about not being home around the holidays. He kept telling them that he gets most of his business on the holidays so it was no time to rest. Unfortunately for his family, whatever Cloud decides to do is final. There was a rare time where he changes his mind because someone convinced him to.

It was a few hours til Christmas Eve and Cloud was nowhere near home. He knew he was going to get an earful from Tifa because of all the Christmas' that they had together as a couple; he was only present for one. But he keeps telling her that he's doing it for his family. Nothing was more important than his family right? Plus he gets extra tips when he delivers on weekends and Fenrir was in need of a tune up. As he was dropping off his last delivery, he realized that he had about 1.5 hours to get back home before midnight. The only problem is that he is about a 3 hour drive away from home and it didn't help that it was snowing and icy. He sighed. It's not nearly as hard as defeating Sephiroth 3 times but it's still on the line between life and death.

Once he checked his phone; it was 11:35pm. He was about 30 seconds until the driveway. Honestly, he was really good at driving or really reckless if anyone asked the people he almost ran over. He finally reached the warmth of his home. The presents that were left on his bike were for his family plus Barret. Barret came outside to greet the spikey blond but the blond was in no cheerful mood.

"Merry Christmas Spikey!" Barret chuckled. He took some of the presents from Cloud to bring inside.

"Thanks…" Cloud mumbled.

Once Cloud walked inside the bar, he already felt the burn from Tifa's eyes. She had death burned into his forhead. He placed the remaining present under the tree.

"Cloud." He came up to Tifa to peck her on the cheek but she pushed him away. "Please don't tell me you're working tomorrow." She implored.

"Seriously Tifa. We had this conversation a million times. Why do I still have to tell you?" He paused to look around for the kids. He didn't want them to hear them argue. "I have to work. It's the busiest time of the year. How else can I make money."

"Cloud it's important to us. You're missing out on our family. Our children are growing up and they've started to get used to the fact that you're barely home. You say it's the busiest time of the year but it's always like this ALL YEAR ROUND." They forgot that Barret had been there and he was trying to sneak his way up the stairs without them noticing.

"It's my business and I'll handle it the way that I want to. It's not like I want my life to be this way, it just the way it is."

"It's your own business and you don't have a boss so that means you can make up your schedule and yet you can't even fit your own family in." Tifa's face started to heat up, her anger rose in her chest and she felt like breaking something.

Cloud was mad too because this always happened every year. Tifa would start up an argument about his work and they ended up fighting on Christmas. This time he didn't have any patience for her, he had just come home from a long day of deliveries and he rushed over here just to be with Tifa and the kids. But she didn't appreciate it the way he had expected her to.

"Whatever Tifa, I'm tired and I'm going to sleep." He cut the argument short.

"You better sleep somewhere else then, because there isn't a chance of us sharing a bed." With that she left him in the bar alone. She went into her room pulled out a comforter and a pillow and placed it outside their door.

"Are you serious Tifa?" He yelled from down the stairs. He started to curse to himself.

Meanwhile Barret was with the kids trying to get their minds off of the fight. He was telling them the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. Cloud walked by their room and heard bits of the story Barret was telling them.

"_Once upon a time - of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve - old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside go wheezing up and down…"_

Cloud realized that Barret was reading a book rather than telling a story because no way on Gaia did Barret's language ever sound so proper. He continued to listen on.

"_Bah," said Scrooge, "Humbug!"_

_He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again._

_"Christmas a humbug, uncle!" said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure." _

He started to agree with Scrooge, he's heard of the story a million times. Christmas was a humbug, especially to him. He took the blanket and pillow and brought it downstairs to the couch. Unfortunately he was having a hard time sleeping on the couch because Barret was telling the story really loud. Without hesitation, Cloud picked up his things and left. There was one place where he knew that no one would bother him.

Tifa heard the engine start up. She dashed down the stairs and to the door. But by the time she opened the door she only saw the back of Fenrir with a comforter and a pillow tied to it. Her heart sank and her eyes swelled up. Only regret was expressed on her face. Even though he left once before she had never thought he would leave a second time, especially on Christmas Eve. Her feet guided her back to her room and into her bed, where she wept silently alone.

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><p><strong>AN: Wahh I made Cloud like Scrooge ): but anyways it's 33 days until Christmas so this story is just for the occasion (; P.S I love A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ... who doesn't :P so why not combine the two things I love for a special little Christmas Cloti :P**

**Plz R&R (: Much appreciated and if anyone has suggestions ... I'll do my best to incorporate it with the story (:**


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